Syria shoots down Russian plane accidentally

A Russian maritime patrol aircraft with multiple personnel on board was inadvertently shot down by Syrian regime anti-aircraft artillery on Monday after the Syrians came under attack by Israeli missiles, Moscow has confirmed.

The Russian military said Tuesday that while Syrian air defenses shot down the aircraft, Israel was to blame for putting it in the line of fire, Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported.

“As a result of the irresponsible actions of the Israeli military, 15 Russian servicemen were killed, which is absolutely not in keeping with the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership,” said Russian Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian military, according to RIA-Novosti.

A US official with knowledge of the incident said Monday that the Syrians were trying to stop a barrage of Israeli missiles when the Russian aircraft was hit. A second official confirmed that Israel was responsible for the missile strikes on Syria.

An Israel Defense Forces spokesman declined to comment on the reports.